The Alabama gymnastics team always has one road meet that sticks out on the schedule.
In Baton Rouge, La., normal decorum for gymnastics meets – sitting quietly while the other team is performing, and only cheering for your team – is largely thrown out the window.
The No. 7 Crimson Tide will feel that heat this week as it takes on No. 3 LSU Friday on the road in the team’s first true road meet of the season.
“LSU is an interesting environment to compete in,” senior Sarah DeMeo said. “Their fans are crazy. They’re obnoxious. I think we use it to power us. Like a ‘Ha, in your face,’ type thing. It really drives us. It’s a fun environment to compete in.”
The most noise comes during the uneven bars and balance beam events.
On bars, DeMeo said, the fans will say “Whoah, oh, oh,” as the gymnasts are twirling around. And on beam, the fans will just scream, “Fall!”
“They make it loud and clear,” DeMeo said. “All the students, on bars and beam especially, you can hear them.”
Still, Alabama welcomes the challenge.
Two weeks ago, the team was in Knoxville for a meet against Kentucky and Nebraska. The meet was attended by 3,100 fans, but they were largely apathetic towards the teams, creating a flat and dull environment.
Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said she’d prefer a hostile crowd than no crowd at all.
“I’d rather go to LSU or to Athens,” she said. “I’d rather compete in front of 6,000 fans that are cheering for the other team, than to go to Knoxville and have not as big a crowd. I like the rivalry situations. I think you feed off of those.”
To help the mental focus of the athletes, she showed the team a clip from the movie “For Love of the Game.”
In it, Kevin Costner plays a pitcher, who is standing on the mound with the crowd jeering at him. He blocks out the crowd, thinking, “Clear the mechanism,” and throws a perfect strike.
To add even more pressure on Alabama, LSU has jumped out to a hot start this season and is ranked No. 3 in the country.
“It’s one of the most fun meets,” Patterson said. “Last week they were ranked No. 2, this week they were ranked No. 3. I think they have a very vocal crowd. We like the arena. It’ll be a great environment. If you can perform well this road meet, you can perform well in any road meet.”
